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The Soviet Union (USSR) was not a member of FIFA. This made it impossible for other FIFA members to play against The Soviet Union without facing sanctions.
One nation that was willing to overlook the ban was Turkey.
In 1924 and 1925 the Soviet Union played Turkey in Moscow and Ankara. Turkey classify these two matches as being official full internationals, and the annals of Soviet football list the games, along with the 1923 game with Estonia as being their only official matches prior to 1952.
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USSR 1924
16.11.24: USSR 3- 0 Turkey
Moscow, V. Vorovskij Stadium
(15000)
15.05.25: Turkey 1-2 USSR
Ankara, Shtiklyal Stadium (5000)
Turkey were then warned by FIFA not to engage in matches with non-FIFA nations. They continued to meet with the Soviets on a regular basis, employing some subterfuge in order to avoid FIFA's ire.
Turkish records show the series of games that occurred between 1931 and 1935 as 'B' internationals, although Turkish football scholars note that the teams contained on average 8 or 9 players who had won full international caps.
In order to further thicken the smokescreen Turkey added the suffix 'Universities' or 'Peoples Houses' to the teams.
By way of explanation 'Peoples Houses'' (Народный дом) were popular establishments in pre revolutionary Russia- similar to workingmen's institutes in the UK, they were centres of culture, leisure and education. After the Revolution the term fell out of use, being replaced by 'House of Culture'. The idea was copied in Turkey, where a state sponsored project established Halkevleri (Peoples' Houses) from 1932 onwards.
The following matches were played from 1931-1935:
20.08.31: USSR 3- 2 Turkey Universities
Moscow, Dinamo Stadium (50000)
21.10.32: Turkey Peoples’ Houses 2-2 USSR
Istanbul, Fenerbahche Stadium (12000)
USSR in Turkey October 1932
In October 1932 the Soviet national selection played 3 matches in Turkey:
23.10.32: Turkey Peoples’ Houses 0-4 USSR
Istanbul , Taksim Stadium (9000)
27.10.32: Turkey Peoples’ Houses 0-1 USSR
Ankara, Shtiklyal Stadium (8000)
30. 10.32: Turkey Peoples’ Houses 2-3 USSR
Ankara, Shtiklyal Stadium (10000)
1932 squad:
Alexander Babkin (KhPZ); Valentin Granatkin (Krasni Luch);
Alexander Starostin (Ducatti); Konstantin
Fomin (Dinamo Kharkov); Pavel
Pchelikov (Krasni Proletari); Andrei Starostin (Ducatti); Fyodor Selin (Dinamo
Moscow); Yevgeni Nikishin (CDKA Moscow); Ivan Privalov(Dinamo Moscow); Nikolai
Starostin (Ducatti); Yevgeni Eliseev
(Baltvod Leningrad); Vasily Smirnov (Dinamo Moscow); Mikhail Butusov (Dinamo
Leningrad); Vasily Pavlov (Dinamo Moscow); Valentin Prokofiev (Dinamo Kiev);
Vladimir Stepanov (CSKA Moscow); Sergei
Ilin(Dinamo Moscow).
30.07.33: USSR 1-2 Turkey Peoples’ Houses
Moscow, Dinamo
Stadium (50000)
07.08.34: USSR 2-1 Turkey Peoples’ Houses
Moscow, Dinamo
Stadium (60000)
USSR in Turkey October 1935
The Soviet tourists played 6 games in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.
USSR 25.10.1935
13.10.35 Andrei Starotsin, Captain of the Soviet Union
13.10.35 Smirnov puts the Soviets 2-0 up from the penalty spot.
13.10.35: Turkey Peoples’ Houses 1-2 USSR
Istanbul, Fenerbahche Stadium (20000)
15.10.35 Konstantin Fomin , Captain of the Soviet Union
15.10.35: Turkey Peoples’ Houses 2-2 USSR
Istanbul , Taksim Stadium (12000)
19.10.35: Turkey Peoples’ Houses 3-3 USSR
Ankara, Ankaragucu Stadium (30000)
21.10.35: Turkey Peoples’ Houses 2-3 USSR
Ankara, Ankaragucu Stadium (10000)
25.10.35: Turkey Peoples’ Houses 1-2 USSR
Izmir , Alsandzhak Stadium (10000)
27.10.35: Turkey Peoples’ Houses 3-3 USSR
Izmir , Alsandzhak Stadium (8000)
1935 squad:
Ivan Ryzhov (Spartak Moscow); Georgi Shorets (Stalinets Leningrad); Viktor Teterin (Dinamo
Moscow); Alexander Starostin (Spartak
Moscow); Lev Korchebokov (Dinamo Moscow); Konstantin Fomin (Dinamo Kiev); Stanislav Leuta (Spartak
Moscow); Alexander Remin (Dinamo Moscow); Boris Ivin (Stalinets Leningrad); Andrei
Starostin (Spartak Moscow); Valentin Fedorov
(Dinamo Leningrad); Alexei Lapshin (Dinamo Moscow); Viktor Shilovsky (Dinamo
Kiev); Mikhail Yakushin (Dinamo Moscow); Petr Dementiev (Dinamo Leningrad); Konstantin
Schegodsky (Dinamo Kiev); Vasily Smirnov (Dinamo Moscow); Vasily Pavlov (Dinamo
Moscow); Vladimir Kuskov (Spartak
Leningrad); Sergei Ilin (Dinamo Moscow).
